For most people, not much goes on in the garden from mid-July
through August. Few
plants bloom during that scorching time.

Annuals stay about the same or look rather tired. Most
perennials no longer bloom.
And it’s certainly no time to plant new things. So how can you
bring life into an
August garden? Start planning for next year!

Fall is the correct season to plant perennials. To have a
brightly colored August garden,
plan it now. Then plant it in late September, as the weather
begins to cool.
August-blooming perennials need extensive root systems, so plant
them 10 months
ahead.

You need no other tricks for success. Just plan, select the
right plants and plant them at
the right time.

You may be surprised at how many perennials bloom in Georgia in
July and August.

Lantana ‘Miss Huff’ is drought-tolerant and blooms best
in August, as the second
brood of tiger swallowtails flits about. This is a large bush by
August, almost 5 feet
around, with up to several hundred brilliant, orange-yellow
flowers. So leave space
when planting.

You need self-sufficient perennials adapted to heat and drought
for August gardens. No
plant better matches that description than Echinaceae
purpurea, the purple coneflower.
This plant blooms most profusely in August. It’s another
butterfly attractor, with nectar
even in the driest of summers. For best effect, plant 10 to 12
plants in groups.

Veronicastrum virginicum is a veronica-like perennial
with beautiful white flowers. It’s
big enough to fill in large areas of an unused space in the
yard. Butterflies and other
creatures love the flowers. And it imparts movement at the
slightest breeze, forming
waves of white flowers.

Physostegia virginiana is very, very vigorous, spreads
fast and can dominate the
garden. But such beautiful lavender flowers! Plant it in sunny
glades in the woods and
in planters or restricted garden areas where it can’t run. If
fertilized and kept from
drought, it can be a showstopper. But it’s not for the timid
gardener.

Helenium autumnale has been improved from our native
species. Checkerspot
butterflies love this yellow daisy flower. And it seems to
ignore the worst droughts.
Plant 10-20 plants in groups for a stunning effect. Don’t feed
it after the first few
weeks of spring, or it will have soft, floppy growth.

Boltonia is an aster-like plant with blue-green foliage
offsetting titanium-white flowers.
It quickly forms a colony that’s easy to divide in the fall. It
needs some care during
drought but is a wonderful August-bloomer.

Crocosmia ‘lucifer’ is a late-summer flowering bulb. The
warmer the spring and
summer, the earlier it blooms. In general it will bloom in
August if kept moist. The
gladioli-like red flowers are striking and make great cut
flowers.

Lobelia cardinalis is a great hummingbird attractor and
blooms at the Newnan art
festival every August. It requires moisture and accepts shade.
Never winter-mulch it, as
it keeps rosette leaves all winter and needs sun to survive.

Asters frikartii ‘Monch’ and novi-belgii ‘Prof
Kippemburg’ are the two asters I
recommend for those new to the genus and new to planning late-
summer flowers.
Asters are easily grown in Georgia, provided you follow a few
rules. They can’t
tolerate competition from other plants. Miss Huff lantana will
overwhelm an aster
planted too close. Give asters room to grow, and they’ll flower

impressively from
August through October.

Planting August-blooming perennials means never having to miss
something new and
wonderful in the garden. And since most are drought-tolerant and
low-maintenance,
they’re perfect for the already busy gardener.